“Danke fürs Mitdenken!” is feedback that I always take to heart with a smile. That’s how clients often express appreciation after I’ve pointed out an error, omission, or logical inconsistency in a text that I’m translating—especially in a contract, which happens surprisingly often.

Mitdenken is a lovely little word in German, and difficult to translate. It implies conscientiousness and collaboration all in one.

Mitdenken is a lovely little word in German, and difficult to translate. Literally, it simply means to “think along with”—but it carries so much more compact meaning to Germans. It implies conscientiousness and collaboration all in one. A few English phrases come close in a nice way:

Sie denkt gut mit             =         She’s really on the ball

                                              =         She really thinks things through

One could also define mitdenken by the absence of negative attributes:

Er denkt immer mit        =         He never just checks the boxes

                                              =         He never just works on auto-pilot

Other kindred thoughts include taking initiative, thinking proactively or staying engaged.

“Thank you for being so conscientious!” might be the closest idiomatic translation for the feedback mentioned at the outset, suggesting as it does a higher level of mental engagement.

#fail ????